Object Details
publisher
Action Comics
author
Siegel, Jerry
artist
Shuster, Joe
maker
Siegel, Jerry
Shuster, Joe
Action Comics
Description
Action Comics No. 32 features the Superman adventure story "The Preston Gambling Racket," written by Jerry Siegel with art by Jack Burnley. The cover art, featuring Superman, was done by Joe Shuster.
The comic also features stories starring Pep Morgan; The Black Pirate; The Three Aces; Tex Thomson; Clip Carson and Zatara.
The character of Superman first flew into action in 1938. The costumed superhero was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two Jewish teenagers from Cleveland Ohio, who used, among other things, classical mythology and the era's popular science fiction and adventure writing for inspiration.
With his debut in Action Comics #1, Superman became an instant sensation with audiences, inspired by the "Man of Tomorrow's" virtue and heroics at time when the Nation was slowly emerging from the economic catastrophe of the Great Depression and moving closer to World War.
Born on the doomed planet Krypton, Superman was sent to Earth as a child, where our world's yellow sun granted him extraordinary powers such as flight, super-strength, near-invulnerability, as well as other extraordinary abilities including heat and X-Ray vision. As an adult living in the city of Metropolis, the alien, born Kal-El, protects his identity by assuming the persona of Clark Kent, a "mild-mannered" journalist.
Fighting for "Truth and Justice," Superman birthed a cultural fascination with superheroes, and has become one of the most recognizable and influential fictional characters in history. In addition to comic books, the character has been explored in all forms of media, including radio, television, and film, and has been used to promote a variety of successful consumer products, educational initiatives and public service campaigns.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
date made
1939
ID Number
1988.3095.33
catalog number
1988.3095.33
nonaccession number
1988.3095
catalog number
.33
Object Name
book, comic
comic book
Physical Description
paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 10 in x 6 1/2 in; 25.4 cm x 16.51 cm
Place Made
United States: New York, New York City
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
Popular Entertainment
1939 exhibit
Art
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Subject
Superman
Comics
Expositions and Fairs
related event
New York World's Fair (1939)
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_1071851